BY GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Be it called Siquijor, Negros Region, or Negros Island Region plus Siquijor, Negros Occidental 2nd District Rep. Alfredo Marañon III is bent on pursuing the one island region, rather than creating two sub-regions for Negros.
“We have done it before. We can do it by law,” Marañon said.
Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson and Vice Gov. Jeffrey Ferrer also pushed for one Negros Island Region, rather than the sub-regions recommended by the Department of Budget and Management, as well as the National Economic Development Authority.
Marañon, who is among the numerous Negros solons who filed bills in Congress for the creation of NIR, said “it was functioning before, and we saw the benefits.”
The benefits far outweigh the cost of having a region. You can equate all the cost, he stressed.
Negros Occidental 6th district Rep. Mercedes Alvarez earlier said that she will study the proposal of DBM and NEDA, which is yet to be brought up with the Technical Working Group that she chairs. The TWG was tasked by the House committee on Local Government to consolidate all the proposed NIR bills.
Marañon said that the TWG is still discussing the consolidated NIR bills, which he initially called as the Siquijor, Negros Region (SNR).*
